Urgent: PETA Warns That Dogs May Die in Heat Wave in Knoxville—Vital Tips Here

For Immediate Release:
June 28, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A monkey died and another was rescued by police in Sevierville after the two animals were left inside a hot car recently, and this week’s scorching temperatures will put dogs at high risk of heat prostration and death, so PETA is issuing an urgent warning to anyone with a dog. Please be sure to do the following:

• Touch the pavement to ensure that it won’t burn dogs’ foot pads.
• Be alert to a long, curled-up tongue and heavy panting, as dogs cannot sweat as humans can and heat builds up inside their bodies.
• Walk only in the shade or on earth or grass, and never leave animals outdoors in extreme heat or inside vehicles.

This month, PETA fieldworkers discovered the body of a dog who had died after being left chained up in the hot sun, and similar reports nationwide are starting to roll in. Recently, a law-enforcement officer mistakenly left his patrol car with a dog inside it, and the K-9 succumbed to heat prostration and died. Last year, more than 31 dogs were reported dead from heat-related causes. (Figures are far likely higher, as most heat-related deaths go unreported.)

Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty.